Week 17 Visionary Plays: Bold Fantasy and DFS Predictions
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs HC Bruce Arians would like nothing more than to finish .500 on the season and have Winston throw for well over 5,000 yards. Winston should be airing it out all game long, so look for him to have about 350+ passing yards and 2-3 touchdowns in this game.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak laid a big fantasy egg in Week 16, but that means we should all go right back to him as he gets to face the depleted Redskins secondary in a must win game for the Cowboys. I expect him to have at least 260 passing yards and 1-2 touchdowns in a rebound effort.
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles need to win to make the playoffs, and they get to face the Giants—one of the worst defenses in the league. Wentz has played much better than people realize, considering that the Eagles have had so many injuries. Look for him to have a high fantasy floor (250 passing yards and 2 touchdowns) in this game.
Jones has been airing it out and making a ton of mistakes—but he has also done a lot of good things. It’s virtually impossible to run on the Eagles, so look for Jones to continue to challenge the injured Eagles secondary with passes to Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton.
Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Redskins S Landon Collins (a great run stuffer) is out and the Cowboys know they must feed Zeke all game long if they want to win. For DFS purposes, it will be hard to get him and Christian McCaffrey rostered together on teams. Still, they are both in smash spots this week so it might behoove Fantasy owners to try.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
If only Henry didn’t sit out last week! Henry is not listed on Week 17’s injury report and the Titans will go to him early and often as they need to win this game to get into the playoffs. Look for Henry to have 100+ rushing yards and at least 1 touchdown.
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Jones needs one more touchdown for 20 on the season. With Jamaal Williams likely out for the game and the Packers desire to get the first-round byw, Jones will see the ball aplenty on Sunday.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Robert Griffin III will be throwing short passes to Hill out of the backfield all game long as the Steelers defense tries to slow down Gus Edwards and the Ravens running attack.
Sony Michel, New England Patriots
The Patriots need to win this game if they want a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed in the AFC. With Julian Edelman still at less than 100%, look for the Patriots to establish their running game, with Michel being the biggest beneficiary. I think he could find the end zone multiple times in this contest.
Wide Receivers
Brett Perriman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If Winston is going to throw for 350+ plus yards, he’s most likely going to be using Perriman, who has stepped up nicely since the injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals
Ross had 13 targets in last week’s game against Miami, proving that he is fully back from injury. Look for him to be featured this week against a Browns secondary that has struggled against speed receivers all season.
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
The Redskins secondary is decimated, and this looks like a game where Prescott can attack through the air. I like Amari Cooper as well, but for DFS purposes, Gallup comes cheaper, which will allow us to put other studs into our lineups.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
This game feels like a letdown for the Raiders, and the Broncos should be able to take advantage of that. Sutton has had a terrific sophomore season and has shown that he can be relied upon as a WR1 for Fantasy owners in 2020 and beyond.
Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
The Vikings have already said that they will be benching most of their starters, which should mean that even Mitch Trubisky should be able to have a good game throwing the football. Robinson has been the Bears' top receiver all season long and he should see double-digit targets once again in Week 17.
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Zach Ertz has been ruled out, which means that Goedert will get peppered with targets all game long. He might be the only “must play” on the entire DFS slate.
Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones will most likely be on a snap count (assuming he even plays) which should make Hooper Matt Ryan’s first read on most passing downs. Tampa Bay has improved dramatically in terms of covering opposing tight ends, but that is still one of the biggest weaknesses of their defense.
Kaden Smith, New York Giants
Smith has been on fire since Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison have been out. Look for him once again to find space in the middle of the field and be a good red zone target for Daniel Jones.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee has arguably been the best tight end in football for the past month (he has four 100-yard games in a row) and this week he gets to play the Cardinals—the worst team in the league against opposing tight ends. He is a must start—so long as the Rams don’t get cute and decide to bench all their starters at the last minute.
